acommonreader.st
The Faithful River by Stefan Żeromski Translated by Bill Johnston Northwestern University Press, 179 pages ISBN: 978-0810115965 The Faithful River is set in the Kielce region of central Poland in the winter and spring of 1863, during the January Uprising. At this time the country of Poland did not exist; since the partitions of the […]
I skipped the release of 2010’s Robin Hood (with Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett), but had it on as background noise recently. When I heard the following lines, though, I became more interested…well, for a few minutes anyway. Rarely does a version of Robin Hood portray Richard Coeur-de-Lion in this light: King Richard The Lionheart: […]
While I’m waiting for a replacement copy of The Faithful River by Stefan Żeromski (the last 25 pages were missing), I think I’ll post my scattered notes on another book I’m reading: A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza’s Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age by Steven Nadler. When I become interested enough […]
Since I will be reading several of Stefan Żeromski’s books this year (The Faithful River, Ashes, and The Coming Spring), I thought an introduction to the author was appropriate. The article at Culture.pl serves as a good overview since it goes into great detail about his life and works. In addition, I’ll provide a few […]
Satantango by László Krasznahorkai Translated by George Sziertes New Directions, 274 pages ISBN: 978-0-8112-1734-7Who Author: László Krasznahorkai, a Hungarian writer born in 1954. Translator: George Sziertes, poet and translator of notable Hungarian authors such as Krasznahorkai and Sandor Marai. (Interview) Principle characters in The First Part: Futaki—former mechanic in village, lame. Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt—village […]
Senna’s remarkable story, charting his physical and spiritual achievements on the track and off, his quest for perfection and the mythical status he has since attained, is the subject of SENNA, a documentary feature that spans the racing legend’s years as an F1 driver. Far more than a film for F1 fans, SENNA unfolds a […]
Mariusz Dmochowski as Stanisław WokulskiContinuing with my sort-of-biweekly foreign movie posts for this year… For more foreign movies, check out Caroline’s World Cinema Series 2012 and Richard’s monthly Foreign Film Festival round-up. I am always interested in watching movie adaptations of books I’ve read and enjoy passing along the ones I watch. In the case […]
2012 vintage Update: if my posting in December seems more incoherent than usual, you’ll know the reason. Original post: A Christmas present in May? That’s because you have to do the work now in order to enjoy this in December. It’s a nice touch after dinner with friends. Or when you have a quiet evening […]
If you have access to Netflix streaming be sure to check out Phantom Museums: The Short Films of the Quay Brothers, in particular the 20 minute “Street of Crocodiles” (versions of this are available on YouTube, too). The Bruno Schulz story of the title focuses on deceit—fabrications by others and by the self. Starting with […]
Continuing with my sort-of-biweekly foreign movie posts for this year… For more foreign movies, check out Caroline’s World Cinema Series 2012 and Richard’s monthly Foreign Film Festival round-up. Wojciech Jerzy Has based this movie on parts of Bruno Schulz’s stories, using “The Sanatorium at the Sign of the Hourglass” as the framework on which to […]